Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Point grads to 'area of destiny'

Or perhaps we should say, "Congratulations*" – with a footnote reading: "This salutation is reserved for parents whose children majored in engineering, computer science or finance at a top-tier school. All others, please join us in a primal scream."

Because, hello, it's hard to get a good job out there. The economy is just not growing fast enough to absorb 1.8 million newbies a year, with the noted exceptions.

As a result, the vast majority of graduates – 73 percent by some estimates – end up in jobs not in their areas of study, many at or close to minimum wage. What's worse, a whole slew ends up living back in the room you were hoping to turn into a home gym.

We feel your pain. Our son is graduating from a great school, and he's a terrific kid, but the market for music majors isn't exactly sizzling.

Got a job for a poet?

Another of our kids, class of 2012, majored in poetry. Yes, poetry.

And you know what? It's not the end of the world. Because as a parent, you can – and we suggest you should – take three steps to help your graduate get a job that makes Commencement Day the real beginning it should be.

First, don't talk to your kid about jobs or industries without also talking seriously about "Area of Destiny." Have you ever known people who have blown up their career at age 40 or 50 to do something totally different? Ever notice how much happier they seem?

Area of Destiny is all about getting to that place long before a midlife crisis sets in. It's a simple but powerful construct that posits career satisfaction and success occur when you work at the intersection of two "super highways": one is what you're uniquely good at, and the other is what you love doing. Thus it was that our poetry major, who was always adept at picking Oscar winners, and who loved nothing more than watching TV, landed in Hollywood in the casting business, where she is thriving.

Now, there's no guarantee that an Area of Destiny job will be easy to find, or pay that much, but you're gently shoving your children in the right direction when it's toward a future that matches not just their major, but also their strengths and passions.

Second, make sure your kid understands that a job interview is not like a college test; it requires umpteen times more preparation. As important, your son and daughter need to know that a job interview is not about what they already know. It's about doing the research to prove they understand the company and the industry they're trying to enter, and what, given their measly experience, they can do to help their employer win.

Prepare for interview

Not long ago, friends of ours got very excited when their daughter landed an interview in the human resources department of a well-known company. She was about to graduate from a good state university with a business major, and she spent an hour or two boning up on the best way to describe her résumé highlights.

On the appointed day, after the usual niceties, the interviewer looked our friends' daughter square in the eye and asked, "What's our stock price today?"

And that was that.

Your job as a parent is to jump in front of that oncoming train, with pre-interview hollering that includes, "Google your brains out! Know everything there is to know. This isn't a test. It's real life!" No college professor will do that for you.

Finally, let your kid know that eventually, you're going to back off, but not until you can. If you're like us, the past few years of parenting your soon-to-be graduate have been a bit of a cakewalk. Your kid's been out of sight, doing what he or she is supposed to be doing, becoming an adult.

The job search upends that. Suddenly, you're all up in John's or Mary's face again, and they don't particularly love it. And, frankly, neither do you. It's like middle school all over: a drama every day.

Face right into that paradox with your children – the fact that they're supposed to be all grown up but that they need you more than ever. It won't last, and resistance will only make it harder.

Together, though, you'll all make it through, and with a job in hand, you can take a collective sigh. Until the next crisis pops, that is, and you know it will. "Mom, Dad, my boss said he wants to see me."

After all, you may be the parent of the class of 2015, but you'll also be a parent forever.

Jack and Suzy Welch are co-authors of the new book "The Real-Life MBA: Your No-BS Guide to Winning the Game, Building a Team, and Growing Your Career."